Iain McGregor

Comparing designers' and listeners' experiences

This paper compares the listening experiences of non-experts and the designers of two sound designs. To date, no such comparisons have been examined empirically, and so for ease of comparison, repertory grids were chosen to explore these experiences, which preclude the need for listener training. The results suggest that (a) it is meaningful to compare designers’ and non-experts’ listening experiences, (b) points of agreement and disagreement are readily identified and (c) the use of repertory grids is a practical means of conducting such studies. The findings further suggest that a taxonomy of sound attributes based on these experiences rather than designers’ intuition or predilection is also possible.

CymaSense: A Real-Time 3D Cymatics-Based Sound Visualisation Tool

What does music look like? Representation of music has taken many forms over time, from musical notation [16], through to random algorithm-based visualisations based on the amplitude of an audio signal [19]. One aspect of music visualisation that has not been widely explored is that of Cymatics. Cymatics are physical impressions of music created in mediums such as water. Current Cymatic visualisations are restricted to 2D imaging, whilst 3D visualisations of music are generally based on arbitrary mapping of audio-visual attributes. This paper looks at the design of CymaSense, an interactive tool based on Cymatics.

Evaluating a vehicle auditory display: comparing a designer's expectations with listeners' experiences

This paper illustrates a method for the early evaluation of auditory displays in context. A designer was questioned about his expectations of an auditory display for Heavy Goods Vehicles, and the results were compared to the experiences of 10 listeners. Sound design is essentially an isolated practice and by involving listeners the process can become collaborative. A review of the level of agreement allowed the identification of attributes that might be meaningful for the design of future auditory displays. Results suggest that traditional auditory display design guidelines that focus on the acoustical properties of sound might not be suitable.

Head-mounted displays as opera glasses: using mixed-reality to deliver an egalitarian user experience during live events

This paper explores the use of head-mounted displays (HMDs) as a way to deliver a front row experience to any audience member during a live event. To do so, it presents a two-part user study that compares participants reported sense of presence across three experimental conditions: front row, back row, and back row with HMD (displaying 360° video captured live from the front row). Data was collected using the Temple Presence Inventory (TPI), which measures presence across eight factors. The reported sense of presence in the HMD condition was significantly higher in five of these measures, including spatial presence, social presence, passive social presence, active social presence, and social richness. We argue that the non-significant differences found in the other three factors – engagement, social realism, and perceptual realism – are artefacts of participants’ personal taste for the song being performed, or the effects of using a mixed-reality approach. Finally, the paper describes a basic system for low-latency, 360° video live streaming using off-the-shelf, affordable equipment and software.

CymaSense: A Novel Audio-Visual Therapeutic Tool for People on the Autism Spectrum

Music Therapy has been shown to be an effective intervention for clients with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC), a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that can affect people in a number of ways. This paper presents a study evaluating the use of a multimodal 3D interactive tool, CymaSense, within a series of music therapy sessions. Eight adults with ASC participated in an 8-week period using a single case experimental design approach. The study used qualitative and quantitative methodological tools for analysis within and beyond the therapy sessions. The results indicate an increase in communicative behaviours for both verbal and non-verbal participants.